The Dismals Braintree
9 addresses across 4 postcodes (CM3), about 450 m (0.3 miles) long, classed as a local road. USRN 3907433.
- Flood: 2 addresses on its postcodes are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
- Council tax: Most homes around it are in council tax band C; Band D in Braintree costs £2,280 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 78% to 100% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Hatfield Peverel, about 3.4 km (2.1 miles) away in a straight line.
- Green space: The nearest park or garden, Church Green, is about 280 m away.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 6.8 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 6.9 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: Its addresses are 28 to 39 m above sea level.
- Noise: 1 of its 9 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is Douglas Grove Surgery, about 3.9 km (2.4 miles) away.
- People: About 310 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 49% of households owned their home and 34% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Crime: 3 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often vehicle crime.
Sales on this street
No sales recorded on this street since January 1995 under this street name.
Energy performance certificates
No certificates found for addresses on this street.
Council tax
What each band costs in Braintree in 2026-27: Band D £2,280 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,520 | £1,774 | £2,027 | £2,280 | £2,787 | £3,294 | £3,801 | £4,561 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this street: most are in band C (26% of about 700 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Terling (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings on or by this street: 3.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- OWLS HILL HOUSE, grade II*
- THE OLD VICARAGE, grade II*
- OWLS HALL, grade II
Roadworks
No street works under way, planned or finished in the last three months on this street, in permits up to 31 October 2026.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this street's postcodes, 2 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 1 at low risk. Each address counts once, at the higher of its rivers-and-sea and surface-water risk.
Rivers and the sea alone: no home is in an area at risk.
High: 3.3% (1 in 30) or more chance of flooding a year. Medium: 1% to 3.3%. Low: 0.1% to 1%. Very low: under 0.1%. The rivers and sea figures allow for flood defences. Counts cover whole postcodes, which can include other streets.
Flood zone for planning: no postcode centre on this street is in flood zone 2 or 3.
| Postcode | Planning zone | Addresses at high / medium / low risk | Groundwater |
|---|---|---|---|
| CM3 2PG | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 0 | unlikely |
| CM3 2QF | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 0 | unlikely |
| CM3 2PW | not in 2 or 3 | 2 / 0 / 1 | unlikely |
| CM3 2PN | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 0 | unlikely |
Height above sea level
The street's 9 addresses are between 28 m and 39 m above sea level (32 m on average); the ground rises about 11 m from the lowest to the highest.
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM3 2PG | 100% | 78% | 78% | 0% |
| CM3 2PN | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| CM3 2PW | 100% | 93% | 93% | 0% |
| CM3 2QF | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Hatfield Peverel 362,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 3.4 km (2.1 miles) |
| White Notley 7,660 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.3 km (2.7 miles) | |
| Witham 1.9 million journeys in 2024–25 | 5.1 km (3.1 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 8 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 12 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest The Rayleigh Arms Terling | 110 m |
| Bus or coach station | Chelmer Valley Park-and-Ride Broomfield | 6 km (3.8 miles) |
| EV charging points | Ionity Witham | 4.4 km (2.8 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Stansted Airport STN | 24.5 km (15 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | Douglas Grove Surgery | 3.9 km (2.4 miles) |
| Pharmacies | Boots | 3.8 km (2.4 miles) |
| NHS dentists | Hatfield Peverel Dental Surgery | 3.8 km (2.4 miles) |
| Hospital | Broomfield Hospital | 7.7 km (4.8 miles) |
| Police station | Essex Police Workshop | 3.6 km (2.2 miles) |
| Cash machines | Nisa - Castle Stores Cashzone | 4.3 km (2.7 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Church Green 5,470 m² | 280 m |
| Play area | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 910 m² | 190 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1.3 ha | 360 m |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 1 park or garden, 0.5 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is The Old Vicarage, a listed building (Grade II*), 90 m north. 45 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 9 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| The Old Vicarage | Listed building, Grade II* | 90 m north |
| Owls Hill House | Listed building, Grade II* | 120 m north |
| United Reformed Church | Listed building, Grade II* | 270 m east |
| Vine Cottage and Church View | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m east |
| Terling Place | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 720 m (0.4 miles) south-east |
| Great Loyes moated site and fishpond | Scheduled monument | 1 km (0.6 miles) north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Swan Pond | Lake or reservoir | 560 m (0.3 miles) south |
| Wade's Spring | Wood | 1 km (0.6 miles) west |
| Craigments Spring | Wood | 1 km (0.7 miles) south-west |
| Stockley Wood | Wood | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) north |
| Brockspark Wood | Wood | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) south-east |
| Irrigation | Lake or reservoir | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) west |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 6.8 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 6.9 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 12.2 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 60 to 64 | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 8 | 9 |
1 of the street's 9 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for Braintree: see them on the Braintree page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Primary | 5–11 | 230 m | Good (Jan 2023, overall grade under the previous framework) |
Food hygiene ratings nearby
| Business | Type | Distance | Rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside Playcare CM3 2PW | School/college/university | 60 m | Awaiting inspection | |
| Hillside Gems, Terling CM3 2PW | Hospitals/Childcare/Caring Premises | 60 m | Awaiting inspection | |
| Terling Cricket Club CM3 2PY | Pub/bar/nightclub | 220 m | Exempt | |
| Terling Stores CM3 2PG | Retailers - other | 290 m | 5 Very good | 26 Mar 2026 |
| Terling Church Of England Primary School CM3 2PN | School/college/university | 340 m | 5 Very good | 18 Dec 2024 |
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Vehicle crime | 1 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near Owl'S Hill (3).
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 19% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 26% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 49% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 31% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 2% | 17% |
| Private rented | 49% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 57% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | under 1% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 30% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 2% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 40% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 52% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | under 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | under 1% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 5% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 41% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 21% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 34% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 6% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 99% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street is in decile 6 of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 1 is the most deprived tenth of England's 33,755 neighbourhoods and 10 the least.
What has changed
Nothing new since the change feed started on 30 October 2026. New sales and energy certificates, and hygiene ratings, school inspections and flood figures nearby, will be listed here as the sources update.
Postcodes on this street
- CM3 2PG: 3 addresses of 35 in the postcode
- CM3 2QF: 3 addresses of 10 in the postcode
- CM3 2PW: 2 addresses of 24 in the postcode
- CM3 2PN: 1 address of 32 in the postcode
Nearby streets
Owl's Hill · The Street · The Estate Yard · New Road · Norman Hill
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether a particular house is at risk of flooding, subsiding or anything else: the flood map is a model of areas and there is no property-level data here.
- What a home is worth now: sales are historic prices for the homes that happened to sell.
- How safe the street is: crime points are moved to anonymised locations and many crimes are never reported.
- Whether you would get a place at a school: distances are straight lines, not catchments.
- Who lives on the street now: census figures describe the small areas around it in March 2021, during a lockdown.
- How long a journey takes or how often anything runs: transport distances are straight lines to the nearest stops.
- Whether a GP practice is taking new patients, or a dentist new NHS patients.
- How loud a home is inside, or noise from industry, neighbours or smaller airfields: noise figures are models of road, rail and air traffic outside.
How each figure on this page is matched to the street and worked out: methodology.